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Eyelid Monitoring Technology One of Many Proposed Solutions to Stop Truck Accidents

A
2005 crash between a Whole Foods Market truck and a bus carrying a high school
marching band, left five people dead. An investigation followed, and officials
concluded that the accident was caused by truck driver fatigue. The tragic
accident highlighted the need to address driver fatigue, and the National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) responded by recommending a series of
technology advancements with the potential to reduce truck crashes.

Over
30,000 people have lost their lives in truck accidents since that 2005 crash
and yet the technology recommendations issued by the NTSB - most of which cost
between $500 and $2,500 to implement - have sat in review at the U.S.
Department of Transportation. Why? According to safety advocate, Henry Jasny
from the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, a lack of political will is
holding up the technology that could help save lives on the road.

Just
what are some of these technological advancements in truck safety? Below are a
few that have drawn interest over the last few years:

Automatic
Brakes

According
to a study by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration
(NHTSA), crash-avoidance technology that automatically engages a truck's brakes
prior to a crash, would save up to 300 lives per year and produce $3.1 billion
in economic benefits. This technology already exists. According
to Bloomberg, a truck could be outfitted with the technology for less than
$2,500.

Eyelid-Monitoring
System

A
new device under development, called the Driver State Monitor, uses sensors to
detect if a driver is moving their head or blinking in a way that would
indicate that they are drowsy. The device sounds an alarm, to alert the driver
if they seem to be falling asleep. The sensors can catch eye movement, even if
the driver is wearing sunglasses. The Driver State Monitor is likely to be
available in 2016.

Driver
Seat Cameras

Trucking
companies are already increasingly using onboard cameras to see if their drivers
are engaging in any reckless behaviors. Safety managers say the video camera
changes driver’s behavior for the better and can be outfitted on any truck at a
cost of less than $500.

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